DARPA funds IBM development of chip that will self-destruct

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has awarded a contract to IBM to create a CMOS chip that will self-destruct on command, turning into silicon dust. The goal of the project, called Vanishing Programmable Resources (VAPR), is to develop technologies that would prevent classified military systems from falling into unfriendly hands.

“It is nearly impossible to track and recover every [electronic] device [on the battlefield], resulting in unintended accumulation in the environment and potential unauthorized use and compromise of intellectual property and technological advantage,” DARPA states on the webpage for the VAPR program. VAPR is a “broad agency announcement” program that was announced last month in order to fund multiple development efforts to create “electronic systems capable of physically disappearing in a controlled, triggerable manner…[with] performance comparable to commercial-off-the-shelf electronics, but with limited device persistence that can be programmed, adjusted in real-time, triggered, and/or be sensitive to the deployment environment.”

The technology being developed by IBM under a $3.45 million award will use a glass substrate that shatters when an attached “fuse or reactive metal layer” receives an external radio frequency signal. That sort of command self-destruct would make it possible to destroy electronics lost or abandoned on the battlefield over a large area, and it would prevent scenarios like the transfer of technology found in the helicopter abandoned during the SEAL Team strike on Osama Bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan.

Sean Gallagher
Sean is Ars Technica's IT and National Security Editor. A former Navy officer, systems administrator, and network systems integrator with 20 years of IT journalism experience, he lives and works in Baltimore, Maryland. Emailsean.gallagher@arstechnica.com//Twitter@thepacketrat

Exactly what soldiers want- remote killswitches on their gear. This would open a whole new cyber security front to stop opposing forces from turning your equipment to garbage in the middle of a battle.

Maybe this will find its way to motherboards within a few generations. Then we can have an all new wave of NSA backdoor worries. Either that or some really over the line "pranks" on people like the old "ALT-F4" prank, except this time when you do what they tell you to do, you will be unwittingly frying your bios.

While a formidable tool in practice, it sounds like the RF part is almost as big of a challenge as the physical self-destruction. You better hope the unit is on to receive its self-destruct orders... and as noted, hope the adversary doesn't just broadcast the magic passcode through their transmitters.

Maybe this will find its way to motherboards within a few generations. Then we can have an all new wave of NSA backdoor worries. Either that or some really over the line "pranks" on people like the old "ALT-F4" prank, except this time when you do what they tell you to do, you will be unwittingly frying your bios.

Nah, I predict a wave of SQL injection attacks whereby users browsing innocuous websites get hit with malware that truly makes their systems crash and burn. They can call it a OMGWTFBBQ attack

Ahh yes, DARPA, the government agency that gets to build things "Because they're f*ing cool!" This is probably the absolute best way to use tax dollars there is, we've already got the internet, advanced robotics, and self driving cars thanks to DARPA. Wish other governments, including the US, would stop subsidizing their buddies and just "build cool shit!"

shoot, my work issued pc (common brand not mentioned here out of curtosy) self destructs all by itself on a reasonalby standard schedule. Send me 3.45 mil and I'll tell you what to buy! We dont need no self destruct chips!